Airline apologizes after 'totally unacceptable' baggage handling

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As airlines cram more passengers onto each plane and sometimes charge for even one piece of checked luggage, it feels like a painfully high number of people are trying to cram everything they need into the overhead bins.

As a result, the cabin crew is more likely to call for some passengers to check carry-on luggage even if it's within the allowed limit.

A passenger video filmed from the window of a plane will surely only turn up the heat on those battles.

The video appears to show baggage handlers letting hand-checked luggage free fall from the jetway to a basket at ground level. The narrator of the video notes that some appear especially heavy as they fall onto the other items below.

"In light of a recent video posted to YouTube, we would like to apologize for the totally unacceptable mishandling of our passengers' baggage captured on video," an Air Canada spokeswoman said in an email to CNBC on Monday. "The employees involved have been suspended and advised that their employment will be terminated pending the outcome of our investigation."

The email said the dropping of the hand-luggage into a cart several feet below is not company policy.

"Their actions clearly contravened our standard baggage handling procedures which require gate-checked bags to be hand carried to the ramp. We take matters involving the protection of our customers' personal possessions very seriously. The actions of these individuals are not representative of the vast majority of our employees who work hard every day to take care of our customers," stated the email from Isabelle Arthur, a spokeswoman for Air Canada.